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Fleet Foxes decided to throw away the first version of 'Helplessness Blues' after deciding that it simply wasn't up to scratch.

Released in 2008, Fleet Foxes' debut album seemed effortless. The American group matched a love of vintage songcraft with a fresh feel which gave the album a timeless atmosphere. An enormous commercial and critical success, the band were placed under enormous pressure during sessions for a possible follow up.

Returning with 'Helplessness Blues' this summer, Fleet Foxes have taken a step forward from their debut. Speaking to Uncut, singer Robin Pecknold revealed that an initial recording of the album was ditched.

Spending the bulk of 2009 in the studio, those formative sessions were later filed away. Fleet Foxes decided that the recording simply did not represent where they wanted to go with their music.

"When we did the first mix of the album it was like, 'This is where we're at, not where we want to be'," Pecknold explained.

"I felt there were things that could be improved. I wasn't being precious about it. I wanted the album finished and out as much as anyone. But as soon as we started re-tooling one or two of the tracks, that opened the floodgates."

Meanwhile, bass player Christian Wargo added that the decision was taken as a group. "It just sounded weird, not what we wanted. We just thought we could do a better job. That's what we all thought. I wasn't just Robin not wanting to let go of the thing."

Due for release in May, 'Helplessness Blues' is a definite step forward for Fleet Foxes, although it is obviously their work. "There was absolutely no chance I was going to ever put out something that I wasn't totally convinced was as good as it could possibly be" stated Robin Pecknold. "